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Ombudsman Attends Anti-Corruption Training Session In Curacao

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Ombudsman of St. Maarten Dr. Nilda Lynch Arduin is currently heading a delegation to an anti-corruption training.

The session, which is being held on Curacao, is being organized by the International Anti-corruption Institute.

Attendees at the event are dealing with a wide range of topics, including the United Nations Convention of Anti-corruption.

St. Maarten is being represented at the training session by representatives from the Ministry of Justi Read more

Agreement is reached on dispute regulation format

THE HAGUE--Following intense discussions on Thursday and many years of delay, the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten finally reached an agreement on the dispute regulation (geschillenregeling) for the Kingdom. Rulings of the body in charge of the dispute regulation will be binding rather than a mere advice, which is a major victory for the islands.

Besides the aspect of a binding ruling, the delegations agreed to give several pointers for the four governments at the Kingdom Conference in Curaçao on June 16 Read more

Shigemoto, GAS director go free in ‘Piranha’ case

PHILIPSBURG--Former Minister of Finance Hiroshi “Hiro” Shigemoto (44) and Global Advisor Services (GAS) BV Director R.A.G. (62) both were acquitted fully by the Judge on Thursday in the so-called “Piranha” case.

The Prosecutor’s Office had accused both men of having committed fraud in connection with invoices sent in for payment for GAS services for the recruitment of highly-skilled staff members for the Department of Fiscal Affairs between January 1 and June 30, 2009. This agreement was renewed in 2011 retroactively from July 1 to December 31, 2009.

GAS also was responsible for managing the one-year project financed by Dutch funding agency USONA to hire staff for the new Tax Department for an all-inclusive fee of NAf Read more

UP board congratulates Hiro Shigimoto

Press release

Philipsburg -- The board of the United People's Party (UP) wishes to congratulate Hiro Shigimoto on his full acquittal from all charges by the Court of First Instance on Thursday. 

 "This is a clear indication of vindication as we know this has been a long judicial journey," the UP board declared. 

 Hiro Shigimoto was a former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigimoto under a UP supported government. 

 "We strongly believe this positive news will be well received by his family and longstanding well-wishers," the UP board added. 

"May Mr Read more

Editorial - Same criteria

Sometimes a point made in this column can lead to misunderstanding. One hardly can be against expanding the number of cabinet members from the current five to the normal seven mentioned in the Constitution, but the fact is that it really would be worthwhile only if the persons involved prove an added value.

Moreover, no obvious objection exists to reappointing parliamentarian Maurice Lake – who apparently is very interested – as VROMI minister, especially as he has held the position before Read more

Sarah questions Govt on integrity protocol

THE HAGUE--"Does the government consider the maintenance of law and the other judicial parts in the document part of the Integrity Chamber? If not, why are those agreements part and parcel of the protocol regarding an Integrity Chamber?" was one of several questioned posed by Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams in a letter to the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet via Chairman of Parliament Dr Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---  Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs expresses his deepest sympathy to the family of Pieter Hooft, a civil servant who worked with the Government of Sint Maarten for more than 25-years.
"My condolences on behalf of the Council of Ministers also go out to civil service corps of country Sint Maarten Read more

MP Sarah Wescot Williams asks questions on Integrity Chamber.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Sarah Wescot Williams sent a letter to the chair of Parliament asking several questions about the agreement signed between the government of St. Maarten and the Netherlands. The letter sent to the chairman of Parliament reads:-

Questions Integrity Chamber protocol
Honorable Chairperson of Parliament,

During my stay in the Netherlands, I have been apprised of the protocol agreed upon between the governments of St Read more

EXCLUSIVE: GEBE Management Team plans to use Company’s Statuut to vote a motion of No Confidence against CFO.

style="text-align: center;">Management Team of GEBE in Shambles, No CEO, No COO and now CFO in predicament.

PHILIPSBURG: --- The members of the management team of GEBE is planning to use the company's statuut to vote a motion of no confidence against the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Rene Gartner. That motion might come as early as today (Thursday) an insider at GEBE told SMN News.
The source said that none of the personnel could get along with Gartner and just recently he sent home the head of the finance department because he does not like or agrees with that person Read more

Dp Leader Questions Integrity Chamber Protocol

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - More questions are being asked about the details of the Integrity Chamber agreement which was signed in The Hague last Saturday.

The agreement was signed between St. Maarten's Minister of Justice, the Honorable Dennis Richardson and the Dutch Government.

Many members of Parliament have expressed their disapproval about the manner in which the agreement was signed and the impact it will have on the authority of the island's highest legislative body, the Parliament of St Read more

Emil Lee And Leopold James- Agents Of Change

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Dear Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for attending this ceremony. For many reasons, this is a moment that I wanted to share with family, friends and colleagues.

Without a doubt, being recognized and appreciated as a valued member of the community by a group like the St Martin Grass Roots People's movement is wonderful. Many thanks to Leopold, Jessie and the rest of the movement.

But in my opinion, this isn't the real story here tonight. There is a much more interesting story to tell.
Up to about 3 or 4 years ago, Leopold James and Emil Lee would have been perceived as polar opposites and perhaps even as adversaries or enemies Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs Expresses Condolences To The Hooft Family And The Civil Servant Corps

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs expresses his deepest sympathy to the family of Pieter Hooft, a civil servant who worked with the Government of Sint Maarten for more than 25-years.

"My condolences on behalf of the Council of Ministers also go out to civil service corps of country Sint Maarten Read more

Ministry Of Public Health Cps Adds Hand-Held Foggers To Mosquito Fighting Arsenal

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – In order to secure the continuous mitigation of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito population in the aim to minimize the number of dengue and chikungunya and possibly in the future, the zika virus, the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), has added four hand-held foggers to eliminate adult mosquito's.

The hand-held foggers are to ensure an effective response, but the population still has a major responsibility to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in and around their homes and businesses to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

A work visit in the past by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) at the request of Sint Maarten's Ministry of Public Health, resulted in a number of recommendations being made to improve the vector management and surveillance in order to make financial investments in obtaining additional resources.

The recommendations included setting up mosquito traps at the harbour and within the community; acquisition of hand-held fogging machines; and the hiring of additional staff for field work.

The hand-held foggers will be used when reports are received of large mosquito populations are a particular address Read more

Sxm Services Provider Not Paid For Services Rendered By Gebe

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Local Public Relations and Marketing Company SXM Services Provider has issued a release stating that the Supervisory Board of NV GEBE must first clean up their own mess and ensure that COO R. Maduro pays the bills he has for services he requested on behalf of NV GEBE.

Our company is duly registered and has provided all information requested by the Management Team, since it learnt that the Supervisory Board started questioning how it was possible that a local company got to make money from NV GEBE when so many international consultancy firms are out there.

SXM Services Provider says it was contracted early this year, first to provide media and public relations services to help turn around what was believed to be a negative image of GEBE, likely created by alleged mismanagement and the high cost of energy Read more

Up Board Congratulates Hiro Shigimoto

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The board of the United People's Party (UP) wishes to congratulate Hiro Shigimoto on his full acquittal from all charges by the Court of First Instance on Thursday.

"This is a clear indication of vindication as we know this has been a long judicial journey," the UP board declared.

Hiro Shigimoto was a former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigimoto under a UP supported government.

"We strongly believe this positive news will be well received by his family and longstanding well-wishers," the UP board added.

"May Mr Read more

Parliaments discuss joint integrity norms

THE HAGUE--The Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands debated on Wednesday about establishing parameters for common norms to safeguard and improve integrity of the governments in the Dutch Kingdom.

In the presence of Dutch National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, the delegations talked about the importance of integrity, how integrity is perceived in the Kingdom and how to achieve more integrity in the governments and parliaments of the Kingdom.

Integrity is about one’s own behaviour, being transparent and consistent in one’s actions, said Van Zutphen Read more

We are missing the point

Dear Editor,

I was shocked to read in the editorial of The Daily Herald on Saturday, May 23, 2015 that it will better serve St. Maarten maybe to have five ministers as a matter of cutting the expenses for the Country.

You know what, the editor may well be right in his assumption from the point of departure that they are even with the five not achieving any noteworthy improvement or should I say changes that serve this Community as a whole and his experience with the present ministers.

However, with all that said, our constitution explicitly says what constitutes an Executive Government for this Country and it also provides directives if and when we see the need to carry out any changes.

Mr Read more

WICSU/PSU election Fri, two to vie for presidency

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) members will vote for a new Executive Board during elections scheduled for this Friday, May 29, from 7:00am to 4:00pm.

The election will be held at the WICSU/PSU office on the Walter Nisbeth Road (Pondfill Road). Two persons have so far signalled their intention to contest the presidency's post: senior civil servant Denisio Conner and former Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary Henrietta Doran-York Read more

Abolition of slavery celebrated with speeches, song and dance

MARIGOT--The 167th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery was commemorated Wednesday at the Agrément roundabout with Lady Liberty looking on approvingly as the scourge of slavery was re-enacted in dance, music and the spoken word by various performers.

Despite an overcast sky threatening rain, only a little came down from time to time but umbrellas were ready.

The audience comprising the entire Territorial Council, Préfet Philippe Chopin, MP Daniel Gibbs, former Mayor Albert Fleming, Economic and Cultural Council President Georges Gumbs, and representatives from the district councils were all seated under a tent to watch the activities.

The ceremony was opened by Malaïka Maxwell singing the song "when you believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston before Percussionist Hélier Coquillas called out the freedom fighters with a conch shell and remained to provide the drumming for the different segments.

President of the Territorial Council Aline Hanson said in her address the commemoration is an opportunity to remember the big sacrifices made by the ancestors for freedom.

"Today we celebrate this freedom and all the people who fought body and soul to liberate our islands and get this precious freedom Read more

‘Sensitive’ answers on harbour security contract now submitted

PHILIPSBURG--Written answers to “sensitive” questions posed by Parliament concerning the hefty rise in fees paid by St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies (SHGC) to Checkmate security company were submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, May 26, some days past the deadline of Thursday, May 21.

MPs will review the answers during the coming days and any form of follow-up is yet to be determined, pending the review. Although the answers had been submitted, Members of Parliament had not yet received them in hand by Wednesday, and six MPs being busy with meetings in the Netherlands at the moment probably will cause some more delay.

Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) and shareholder representative for the harbour Claret Connor said during a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on the matter on Thursday, May 7, that due to the sensitivity of information he would provide specific answers to Parliament in writing within two weeks.

The long-awaited meeting on May 7, which already had been a postponement, ultimately proved fruitless and left MPs and Chairman Lloyd Richardson annoyed at its ineffectiveness Read more

Islands want individual membership of WTO

THE HAGUE--The possibilities of individual membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the Dutch Caribbean countries will be looked at, as well as the development status of the islands so they might make use of facilities for developing countries.

That was one of the proposals that were made at Wednesday's Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations, IPKO, which started off in The Hague. Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten are now a member of the WTO through the Netherlands, which means that the three countries can't make use of WTO funds and expertise because the Netherlands is considered a developed country.

Member of the Curaçao Parliament Alex Rosaria of the PAIS party said that the membership through the Netherlands presented obstacles for the islands Read more

Kingdom Parliaments kick off three-day consultations

THE HAGUE--The Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations IPKO kicked off in The Hague Wednesday morning with the opening speeches of the President of the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ankie Broekers-Knol and the delegation leaders of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten.

Broekers-Knol and the three delegation leaders, Marisol Lopez-Tromp of Aruba, Mike Franco of Curaçao and Leona Marlin-Romeo of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT) Honorable Claret Connor earlier this week attended an oath-taking ceremony of civil servants from the Ministry TEATT that took place in the A. C. Wathey Legislative Hall.
The oath-taking complies with the regulation that all civil servants must take the oath in order to receive their National Decree and be appointed as a civil servant of the national government administration body.
Oath-taking is also an integral part of the integrity system of the Government of Sint Maarten Read more

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Focus on the Caribbean

>PHILIPSBURG:---- FDI is a source of investment and employment. It can allow the transfer of technology and skills and knowledge from the FDI source country to the FDI recipient country. It provides funds to make up for a capital shortfall in the home country. And, very importantly, it is a source of foreign exchange.
FDI coming into the Caribbean
Now, why do investors come to the Caribbean? There are three basic reasons. First, resource seeking – investors seek access to natural resources Read more